The Forest for the Trees
by BlondieCupcake
Summary: The Teen Titans are sent on a mission to capture an escapee from STAR Labs, but little do they know just how great an impact this one mission could have on their lives, especially Beast Boy's. - My own character added because after awhile, the same pple, powers, and situations can get old. This is my 1st FF so I hope you enjoy.
1. Prologue

**Disclamer: I do not own the Teen Titans, only this story line.**

On the Run

The night sky was pitch black, except for the moon which gave off a sinister glow that danced along the tree tops. Crickets chirped their lonely songs which seemed to be the only sound to grace the night. Suddenly they grew quiet, as if foretelling the arrival of an unwanted presence. The sound of running could be heard as something stumbled its way through the thick underbrush. As the creature neared, the sounds of frantic breathing began to waft through the bitter night air. It then came to a small clearing where the moon's rays were finally able to caress the figure, revealing its true form. A girl in her late teens stood, trying to catch her ever quickening breath. She had shoulder length blonde hair and unusually grey eyes. Her body, which wasn't adorned with clothes, was thin and petite. As she stood there, leaning against her knees, she began to think about the events that had transpired earlier that day and how they would change her life one way or the other. She was either going to finally be free from her eternity of suffering and imprisonment, or die trying. She was never going back, no matter what. A twig snapped abruptly, causing her to stop her breathing all together, as fear and panic began to rise in her. Taking one quick glance back, she resumed her incessant running through the forest, allowing the night to swallow her up once more.


	2. The Mission

The Mission

The light of the morning sun had just begun to creep over the horizon of Jump City, causing the surrounding buildings and sky scrapers to glitter in a beautiful display of light. Yes, the time just after sunrise and sunset could do magical things indeed. The city was just beginning to wake up as people, tiredly, headed off to work and school. The same went for the teens living in a tall "T" shaped building on the outskirts of Jump, well most of them.

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE- SMACK!" A green hand gruffly silenced the alarm. Its adjoining body let out an irritated growl followed soon after by a yawn. It rolled over, pulling the covers up with it. This person's name is Beast Boy, otherwise known as Garfield Logan. He was a member of the Doom patrol and is a current member of the Teen Titans. He had just begun to drift back to sleep when the intercom began voicing a very business sounding Robin throughout the tower. Beast Boy groaned. Either they had a mission or a surprise combat practice. He hoped it wasn't the latter because the last time they had one, he was barely able to walk the next day. He would rather it be neither so he could continue sleeping, but sadly, his wish wasn't going to come true.

"Titans! We need to have a meeting in the commons so get ready quickly."

Beast boy let out an extended sigh before getting out of bed. Once he reached the age of sixteen, he had decided he had grown too old for a bunk bed (and had gotten too many bumps on his head from falling off) so he opted to buy a queen size bed. His favorite colors however, he will never grow out of. His pillows and sheets were a bright green and is comforter, a deep purple. His room was still messy, but not dirty. He had clean clothes in a basket that he was too lazy to properly fold and put away, they will just end up back in the basket anyway. To the right of the door was a small desk and a computer. Next to that a tower of comic books lay only one book away from toppling over onto the floor.

Beast boy quickly showered, brushed his teeth, and threw on his outfit before making his way down to the commons. Everyone was already situated on the couch, waiting for him so they could commence with the meeting. Beast Boy pondered what the meeting could be about as he took his seat between Cyborg and Raven. Starfire sat on the other side of Cyborg while boy wonder stood in front of the TV, with arms crossed, and a serious look plastered to his face.

"Ok team. I have just received an urgent call from a science and research center in Belem, Brazil in South America. They had one of their experiments escape a couple nights ago and it is considered dangerous. Any attempt so far to locate and capture this creature have been futile. That is why they have contacted us in the hope we could do better and aide them in its capture. Any questions?"

"How do you reckon we converse with the people there if none of us speak Portuguese?" asked Raven.

"Cyborg is able to decipher most languages with a translator chip in his arm-"

Cyborg interrupted Robin to add, " Or Star could just kiss a guy while she's down there. That would be much faster and easier." He said with a knowing smirk as Robin's face contorted to show his disgust at the idea.

"No, that won't be necessary." He quickly replied, maybe a little too quickly.

He was saved from any further questions about his crush kissing strangers when Beast boy asked, "So… when do we leave?"

"We leave in a few hours so everyone, start packing. We're going to Brazil."

* * *

AN/ I know some pple may not like the idea of them going to South America, but I did it because they have one of the lagest tropical rainforests in the world which helps with part of the plot. Also, only a small part of the story takes place there, most of it happens back in Jump City. The people they meet for the mission came from America and English is their first language, so most of the people they meet down in Brazil will not be speaking portuguese. Just clearing some things up. :)


	3. Drifting

Drifting

It was just ten minutes till take off and Beast boy had just finished packing. He made sure to pack anything he could possibly need for his trip. This included a raincoat, boots, a winter coat (even though it is summer time in Brazil, you can never be too careful), and his swim trunks just in case the trip became a vacation like Tokyo had. His suitcase looked very unstable. Like a bomb that could explode at any second, showering anything too close with clothes. He stood, arms at his hips, and gave a satisfied nod. Grabbing the suitcase's handle, he began making the long trek to the underground chamber where the T-Ship is stored. The only sounds to reach his sensitive ears were his soft foot falls and the gentle skidding sound of his suitcase on the hard floor. This quiet, coupled with his solitude, left his mind to wander.

His thoughts first led him to the possibility of a vacation. First he wanted to hit the beach and maybe go diving. Then he wanted to go hang-gliding, visit the Iguassu Falls, go white water rafting, and… He stopped himself there so he wouldn't get his hopes up. Tokyo was probably just a fluke. Robin is too strict to let them have another vacation so soon after the first. Well by his standards of soon. It's only been a year and a half but as he would probably say, "Superheroes have a job to do, protect the city and its people. The mayor doesn't pay us to have fun and goof off." He probably wouldn't know what fun is if it hit him in the face… or up his- Just then, his communicator started to play the Titan's theme song. He glanced at the screen and guess who it is?

Robin's face filled the little circular screen. "We have just five more minutes till we take off so make sure you use the restroom and anything else you need to do before we leave. We don't want a repeat of last time. Also make sure you get here on time or you will be flapping your wings to Brazil."

Beast boy rolled his eyes. "Yes mooomm!" Robin's face turned into a slight grimace as he too realized how mom-like he sounded.

"Whatever… Just get moving." With that the screen went black. Beast Boy hooked his communicator back on his belt and continued walking.

His talk with Robin made his mind drift to the mission. He wandered what sort of creature those scientists could have created. He knew what those scientists were doing was wrong, but at the moment, all his mind could think about was the creature. In his mind, it looked monstrous. It was at least twenty feet tall, scaly, with rows of sharp teeth and glowing red eyes. He shook his head of these daunting thoughts just as he made it to the T-Ship. However, this sense of foreboding and unease never left him.

Everyone was already there. He handed his suitcase to Cyborg who heaved it into the back and shut the hatch. They all got situated in their seats and the countdown to lift off began. They sky rocketed into the air and soon after began leveling. They were up so high, it looked as if they were surfing the heavens. A sense of total tranquility allowed his worried mind to slip off into unconsciousness as sleep overtook him.


	4. Pain

Pain

Pain. Such a small word, but its meaning is so complex. There is physical pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain. All of these, he has suffered from in this horrid place where the people work with cruel intentions in mind, doing the work of the devil. Yes, these people are certainly the definition of all that is evil in the world.

He was cold, being that he had his clothes taken from him when they took him; He was aching, being that he has spent many years locked away in a small cage; He was scared, not knowing what new pain will be brought upon him day after day; And, he was drowning in utter hopelessness, believing he would forever live like this until the day he died. Everyday he believed his situation couldn't get any worse, but everyday he was proven wrong. Arms wrapped around his knees and head buried, he gently and quietly cried. Knowing this crying wouldn't help, he tried to remember the good times in his life before he came here. He remembered living in Africa, playing soccer with other kids, his kind and caring parents… At this his crying began again, remembering the accident that took their lives.

The sound of footsteps made him abruptly stop his crying as fear overtook him. He pleaded to God that the person wouldn't enter this particular room, but his prayers went unanswered as the sound of keys dangling at the knob was heard. With a small whimper, he cowered against the back corner of his prison. The knob turned, letting bright white light enter the once black abyss of a room. He closed his eyes, due to both the light, and his fear. A man entered in a white lab coat, black glasses, and a clipboard. Although he had glasses, this man did not look like a feeble man. He was tall, muscular, and had a three o clock shadow. He clicked on the overhead lights, further blinding the small boy who whimpered again at his presence. This man was the cruelest man he had ever met. Most of the people here showed no emotion with their subjects, but he had a glint in his eye and a slight curve to his lips that showed he enjoyed his work. He enjoyed inflicting pain, sorrow, and misery on defenseless creatures such as himself.

He looked up from his clipboard and gave such a smile at the boy. He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a long syringe. Filling it with liquid, he turned and made his way over to the cage. The boy's eyes grew wide at the sight of the needle, knowing what usually comes afterwards. He attempted to back away further from the man, only to have his back meet the cage wall. He pressed himself against it so hard, the cage bars left imprints on his green flesh. The man sauntered over, with that same wicked smile, and plunged the needle through the bars and into the boy's arm. The boy began to grow tired and limp but not completely unconscious. No, they wanted him awake for what they were about to do to him. The man unlocked the cage and picked up the fragile boy. Although the boy's body showed little resistance, due to the drugs, his eyes shown with terror.

The man carried him out the door, down the hall, and into a room with a lab table. He was laid down and strapped to the table, leaving him with no means of escape. A woman was already there with a mask and gloves on. She began preparing the equipment while the first man put on a mask and gloves. Once done, the women held out a tray with assorted instruments to the man. He looked them over with excitement in his eyes. He was like a kid in a candy store. His eyes fell on the lighter. It was long, much like the ones used for starting camp fires. He grabbed it, moving between his hands, examining it before facing the boy again. The boy's breathing hitched at the sight of the item and then he began breathing rapidly as panic over took him. The man flicked on the lighter and hovered it over the boy's leg, as the boy's flesh began to burn and melt. The boy let out an inhuman scream that was silenced by the thick walls.

Beast Boy jolted upright in the pod of the T Ship. He was breathing rapidly, sweating profusely, and his face felt damp. He reached his hand up to his cheek for it to be met with tears. He quickly brushed them away and took in his surroundings. It was dark out and the moon and stars were concealed behind clouds. This lack of light didn't help to ease his fears from his recent nightmare. He knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight.


	5. Arrival

Arrival

It was morning and, as suspected, Beast Boy hadn't gotten much sleep. He sat up, stretched and looked through the pod's glass. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, casting shades of yellow, orange, and red in the sky. It was a beautiful sight. Looking down, he could see the tops of trees go flying by. Cyborg's voice drifted from the little speaker in his pod. "Alright yall, our designated landing spot is coming up ahead."

Beast Boy quirked his eyebrow. He could have sworn they were in the middle of a rainforest. He glanced out of the pod again and saw only miles and miles of trees. It looks as if it has never had contact before with civilization. Where could they possibly be landing? He pushed down the speaker button and asked, "Hey Cy, where are we supposed to land this thing? I don't see anything but trees!"

"Well, the lab sent us directions and it says here, we should be there in about… another minute."

"Why would they send us to the middle of nowhere?"

Robin answered this time. "Maybe they like their privacy and don't wish to disclose the real location."

A worried thought penetrated his mind. Could they be hiding something? And, if so, what? Before he voiced his thought Cyborg said, "We're here." The T ship slowed and began to descend. Beast Boy looked out and saw a clearing just big enough for them to land. The T Ship touched down on the grassy soil. The pods opened with a Whoosh and everyone stepped out. Beast Boy's limps ached from their continuous sitting position. He stretched his arms behind his head but stopped when he noticed two black SUV's with two men in suits and black glasses. They looked like they could be with the FBI…. or the MIB. The Titans began walking over to the two men.

One of the men is tall and has dark blonde hair. "You are the Titans I presume?"

"Yes, you presume correct." answered the Titan's leader.

"My name is Mr. Smith and my partner here is Mr. Anderson." He gestures to an African American man, a foot shorter than him, but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in muscle. The man stood stock still, one hand grasping the wrist of the other, and gave only a slight nod to his acknowledgement. "We will be escorting you to our facilities."

Mr. Anderson opened the two SUV's back doors and nodded towards one of the cars impatiently. "_Will this man ever speak?"_ thought Beast Boy. The team split up with Raven, Starfire, and Robin in the first car with Mr. Smith and Cyborg and Beast boy with Mr. Anderson in the second. Beast Boy had thought that the rainforest looked untouched, but now on ground level, he noticed a small dirt road winding through the trees. The road was slightly overgrown and it looked like it hadnt been in use in a long time. _"The lab must not have many visitors." _thought Beast Boy. The trip felt long, especially with it being in total silence. Mr. Anderson had yet to say a word and both teens were almost afraid to break the quiet atmosphere so it continued this way for at least forty five minutes.

Beast Boy was just beginning to nod off against the window when the car pulled up to a large building and Cyborg asked, "Are we here?" The man just looked into the rear view mirror, nodded, and began exiting the vehicle. Beast boy and Cyborg looked at each other and shrugged before doing the same. The second SUV was parked ahead of them, with its occupants standing off to the side. Mr. Anderson and the two teens met up with the others and began walking up the path to the front of the facility. Cyborg had just told a joke making everyone, except Mr. Anderson, laugh when Beast Boy came to a sudden stop, allowing the rest of the group to get far ahead of him. A sign off to the left made his eyes widen with both fear and sudden recognition. In bold, black letters read **S.T.A.R. LABS RESEARCH FACILITY**.

* * *

A/N: I couldn't think of agenty names so I took the ones off the matrix :) . Also, I don't own MIB or any auto company that makes SUV's. Had to say that just in case.


	6. Monsters

Monsters

A flood of memories penetrated his mind like a knife. He remembered the fear, the loneliness, the sadness, and pain… so much pain. He stood frozen to the spot. A tear slowly traced its way down his cheek, to his clenched jaw, and fell to the sidewalk below.

A man in a white lab coat exited the building and walked up to the group of teens. "The Teen Titans. My name is Dr. Rogan. I'm the head of the S.T.A.R. Labs Research facility. I hope that your flight here was a smooth one?" The man was balding, his grey hair combed over to one side. He was of average height, with a little bit of weight on him. His face seemed almost rat-like in appearance.

"It was fine." answered Robin. "The views from our ship were beautiful. The only difficulty seemed to be my lack of sleep. Being a light sleeper makes sleeping in a moving ship difficult. Beast Boy, however, slept practically the entire trip here. Didn't you? ... "Beast Boy?" Finally noticing his absence, Robin turned around and saw him still a ways back, completely stoic, and his hands clenched into fists. He was turned sideways and his head was turned downward. Robin continued forward to try to get a glimpse of his friend's face. "Beast Boy?" The rest of the group turned to look in Robin's line of sight, eyes resting on the green teen. He knew something was definitely wrong with the usually happy green teen and his posture almost frightened him. "Beast Boy, what's wrong?" asked Robin, concern filling his voice.

Beast Boy jerked his head up towards the sound of Robin's voice and took a step back. His face was glistening with salty tears and he looked panicked. Robin took a few more steps towards his fellow teammate. Beast Boy turned and ran. He had no idea where he was running to. He just knew he had to get away. The people of S.T.A.R. Labs were probably still searching for him. He couldn't let them get him. No, not again. Never again!

In his haste to get away he had forgotten he could turn into a much faster animal. Robin, having more training in human form, easily caught up to him and tackled him to the leaf strewn ground below. Not knowing who had captured him, Beast Boy began to panic. He rolled over and punched his assailant, connecting with his jaw. "Ow! Beast Boy! Get a hold of yourself!" Beast Boy stopped his thrashing and opened his eyes. Hovering over him was a red faced Robin. "Beast Boy, what is wrong with you?!" said Robin in an aggravated tone.

During this time, the rest of the team caught up to the pair and stood a few feet back, watching the confrontation in silence. "I cccan't go back! Not there! They'll take me! They'll hhhurt me! They're monsters!"

"Friend Beast Boy, the lab facility of stars will not hurt you." said a worried Starfire.

"She's right." said Raven. "If they were "monsters" we wouldn't have come all the way to Brazil to HELP them."

Robin stood and held out a hand to help Beast Boy up. The green teen sat up on his hands, but didn't take it. Instead he looked at both Starfire and Raven saying, "Not monsters?" He hastily got to his feet and ripped off one of his gloves, extending his arm out, and hand balled into a tight fist. "You call the people who did this to me SAINTS?!" Starfire gasped, lifting her hands to cover her mouth. Cyborg, Robin, and Raven's eyes grew wide. Beast Boy's fist, wrist, and the visible portion of his arm were covered with scars from previous deep gashes and burns.

Cyborg was the first to break the silence. "Beast Boy… Where-"

"Where did I get them?" said Beast Boy in a much darker tone. "More like WHO did I get them from! These are all thanks to those MONSTERS at S.T.A.R. Labs! I was a prisoner there for three years!" Cyborg quickly came over and laid a heavy metal hand on his friends shoulder. Beast Boy paused, his hysterics subsiding into a more somber state. "…Three years…" He said in almost a whisper.

"Is it the same S.T.A.R. Labs facility?" asked Robin.

"No… no I was taken by one in Arizona."

Cyborg lifted his hand off of the green teen and used his arm to do a search of any S.T.A.R. Lab facilities in the state. He quickly got the results he needed and said, "There are no remaining facilities in the state. There was one near Saguaro National Park, but it was closed down four years ago after it was discovered to be doing unethical procedures on its experiments.

"Not all the S.T.A.R. Lab facilities are bad." said Robin. "The one in Arizona had delved off from their ordained rules and regulations to play God. S.T.A.R. Lab facilities in general were created for the greater good of society by curing diseases and creating new technology to keep humanity safe. And like them, we need to do our job to keep humanity safe by capturing that dangerous experiment that is still running loose. So are you still willing to help us complete our mission?"

Beast Boy slowly nodded. Although Robin made a good point, he still felt wary towards S.T.A.R. Labs. It's not odd that he would feel this way of course, but he was also uneasy about the experiment situation. Experimenting on something living and dangerous doesn't sound like something that would be for the greater good of humanity. Add that to the fact that the facility was top secret and hidden from the public made him a little suspicious of them. Questions rolled through his mind. _What if the creature was the one in danger? What if it needed protection FROM S.T.A.R. Labs?_

Beast Boy looked up towards Robin's face and gave a determined nod. He knew he had to help find the experiment. Not for the Lab's sake, but for the experiment's. He wasn't going to let that creature suffer the same way he did.

* * *

P.S. I got the look of Dr. Rogan from my AP English teacher lol.


	7. Suspicions

Suspicions

It was nearing dusk. The sun was only just visible through the trees, but the pink and red tinted sky gave away the secret of the sun's retreat. The crime fighting teens made their way back to the entrance of the facility. Dr. Rogan, having no idea what had just occurred between them, escorted them through the doors with an indifferent air about him. Beast Boy followed willingly, albeit slowly, behind the rest of the group. Being cautious, he made sure to carefully study the sights, smells, and sounds around him.

They were now traveling down a long, brightly lit hallway. The floor, walls, and even the ceiling were covered in white tiles. The hallway contained many heavy duty doors, all with password or key card locks. The smell of noxious cleaning materials stung his sensitive nose. He wrinkled his nose in the hope of keeping out the dreaded odor. He now began to focus on any sounds emanating from beyond the hallway. He cocked his head to one of the many doors in the hallway. Nothing. Twitching his ears, he attempted to concentrate harder on drowning out the sounds of their footsteps. Still nothing. _The walls and doors must be sound-proof. _A shiver danced along his spine, causing his evergreen colored hairs to stand on end. He wasn't cold, his animal-like metabolism made him even warmer than a normal human being. No, this was unease… fear. But fear of what? He didn't quite know.

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't realized the team came to a stop and he plowed right into something cold and metallic. Looking up, his emerald eyes met the dark brown eye and red glowing eye of Cyborg. Cyborg turned and raised a brow at the green teen who, in turn, smiled embarrassingly and rubbed his neck. They both turned their heads back to Dr. Rogan who was using a key card to unlock a room. The once red light near the handle turned green and a faint beep was heard. Dr. Rogan opened the door and, with a wave of his hand, ushered the team inside. It seamed to be a meeting room. The walls and floor were no longer tile, but rather cream painted plaster and dark hardwood. In the center of the room was a long black table with several chairs on either side. On the back wall was a high tech smart board. They filed in and took their seats. First Robin at one head of the table, then Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast boy. Dr. Rogan silently walked to the opposite chair of Robin and took a seat.

"As you all know, I have called you in for your assistance in catching a dangerous experiment which is now running amuck in the surrounding forest. This creature could be both harmful to the surrounding ecosystems and to the people living on the edge of the rainforest just a few days away on foot. Now I-"

"Dr. Rogan, sir." said Robin. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but what is this experiment exactly? I need to know what it is and what makes it dangerous in order for my team and I to safely capture it."

Not liking being interrupted, Dr. Rogan's face turned into a scowl. However he quickly plastered on a smile, in the hope of hiding his disgruntled emotions towards the teen. No one seemed to take notice of his sudden change of demeanor except Beast Boy. He didn't trust this man. "Patience, patience my dear boy. All in good time. This creature is humanistic in features, but don't let it fool you. It's pure beast. It could kill a man in the blink of an eye. It has powers like I've never seen and we have been studying it in the hopes of forever fixing some of the world's greatest atrocities. Now I am unable to tell what exactly we are studying this creature for, but I assure you it is for the greater good of all mankind."

"What powers does it have exactly?" asked Robin.

The man stood with is hands grasping the other. "That I also cannot disclose to you. I apologize for the inconvenience and I do hope you still wish to help us."

Robin, mimicking the man's movements, also stood. "Of course. We can't deny a cry for help, no matter the circumstance." The rest of the group stood up as Robin made his way over to Dr. Rogan and shook his hand.

"Good, good. I am most glad to hear that. Now if you follow me I will take you to your sleeping courters just out back." They began to walk back down the hallway. Instead of taking us through the rear of the facility, he went back through the front door and began to walk around the building.

Dr. Rogan looked down and began searching his white lab coat's pocket for something. Pulling out a cell phone, he pushed a button on his speedial and held the phone to his ear. Still wary of the man, Beast boy cocked his head and began listening intently to hear his conversation. "….We are on our way to the housing courters…. Yes….. Goodbye." _Why would he need to take us the long way to our courters and alert someone to their position? Unless he has something to hide…_

After a few minutes of walking around the large facility they made it to the back of the building. There was a landing station for a helicopter and several trucks. However, the thing that caught Beast Boy's eye was the large number of workers just standing around. Some were having serious conversations, but most were eyeing the group. _Yep, they are definitely hiding something. _

A ways back from facility and down a path through the trees, sat rows of simple white buildings. Dr Rogan walked up to one and opened the door before handing Robin the key. The group meandered through the doorway and into a half living room, half kitchen. "You will find a kitchen, bathroom, and all the basic comforts of a home. However, we only have four beds so one of you may have to sleep on the couch." He turned his head to eye the group, waiting for a volunteer. The team all turned to look at Beast Boy who sighed and said, "Fine, I'll sleep on the couch."

Cyborg, hoping to help his buddy understand their reasoning said, "Well we just thought since you can turn into small animals, you might be able to sleep more comfortable than the rest of us would."

"No it's fine, I understand." He gave a small smile to his half-robot friend and made his way to check out the TV. "Cool! We have a game station!"

"Booyah!" yelled out an excited Cyborg.

Robin, being the strict leader he is soon killed their excitement. "No gamestation, we have to have plenty of sleep for the mission ahead so after we eat, we will al go to bed. Is that clear?"

Both Cyborg and Beast Boy, with heads hung low, gave a weak nod.

"Good." replied Robin who turned to search through the fridge. "I called ahead and told them you are a vegetarian Beast Boy so they stock some vegetarian friendly foods in the kitchen.

"What kind of stuff did they get?" inquired Beast Boy as he made his way over to inspect the items himself.

"Soy chicken,….. soy hamburgers,…. soy sausages,….. vegetarian eggs….. and vegetarian milk." replied Robin before he was pushed aside by an eager Beast Boy.

"Nasty plastic meat." mumbled Cyborg.

This did not go unnoticed by the green Teen who replied with, "Hey! At least I don't eat murdered creatures of God!" And so the vegetarian vs. meat eater argument once again ensues while Robin shakes his head and begins preparing fajitas with both soy and real chicken.

* * *

A/N: Sorry I keep taking longer to write. I had slight writers block and finally gave in today and made myself write with absolutely no clue what was going to happen in this part of the story. Two hours later this was created. I didn't even pause that often, I just made it up as I went along. lol Also i changed tofu stuff to soy because I myself am a vegitarian and I dislike the texture of tofu. I love soy products though, because you can't tell it's fake. (Except hotdogs and bacon, they are weird!) And one of my favorite vegitarian foods is fajitas. My mom eats the real stuff wile I stick with my fake chicken. Yum. lol


	8. Broken Mask

Broken Mask

Once Robin announced that dinner was ready, the rest of the Titans began to seat themselves at the table. Cyborg and Beast Boy sat on one end while Raven and Starfire sat on the other leaving Robin with the head of the table. Everyone sat patiently as Robin began filling each member's plate with a fajita… well, everyone except Beast Boy that is. Fork and knife in hand, even though they were unnecessary, the green teen was near drooling over his upcoming meal. When he finally got his food, he began cramming it into his mouth at Kid Flash speed.

"Uggh you're such a pig." said Raven, with a disgusted look on her face.

"Hey! Pigs are actually very clean animals! Humans are much dirtier than pigs!" He then proceeded to belch loudly.

"I can see that" Mumbled Raven.

Beast Boy ignored her last comment, and got up to get another fajita.

Robin sat, slowly eating his fajita with brows furrowed. He hadn't heard any of his two teammate's comments. He had been too busy thinking about his earlier confrontation with Beast Boy outside the facility. He had so many questions he wanted answered from the green teen, but he had to find the right one to ask.

"Beast Boy…" Robin began, slowing coming out of his contemplative state. "What did they do to you… at S.T.A.R. Labs?" He slowly turned his head to the teen, just in time to see his fajita laden plate hit the floor with a crash. Starfire gasped, everyone turned to see the green teen's reaction, except Raven, who was glaring at Robin. Robin however, wasn't paying attention to any of them… Only to Beast Boy, who still had his back turned from them, hands gripping the counter tightly. An uneasy tension filled the room.

It was a long time before Beast Boy finally spoke, his voice sounding much deeper and raspier from choking back his emotion. "They… did terrible things to me…. Things I can only describe as pure and utter torture!" He said in a quiet scream. He paused again, trying to piece together his jumbled thoughts. "They wanted me for my power. They wanted to harness it and wield it for "the good of humanity"." He said in a spiteful, sarcastic tone followed by a short chuckle. His laughter startled his friends. It wasn't HIS laugh, the one that could be heard after a joke was told or when he pulled a prank on one of them. No, this laugh sounded alien. Not a word was said for a minute, but it felt like hours.

"Once they harnessed my power, they planned to sell it to several different countries around the world, whether they were friendly towards each other or not. By doing so, they would be creating a third World War. A war that would show the true and absolute cruel nature of the human race. And all the while, S.T.A.R. labs would be making billions of dollars off of the deaths of so many."

"But in order to start this war, they needed to find out how my abilities worked, my genetic makeup, and of course, the source of my power from which they could take it, copy it, and ship it around the world in little vials. So, they began testing on me. They took my blood and skin cells for DNA analysis. And when they wanted to see me change they would use these poles with two, electrified prongs at the end." There was another brief pause. "Then they wanted to test things like my pain level and how certain substances would affect me. So… they would tie me down to a table… and use a sharp scalpel to slice me open… and a lighter to-"

"Please, Beast Boy! No more!" Robin interrupted. The soft sound of crying could be heard as Beast Boy slowly turned around towards the group. Starfire was a mess. Her tears had caused her eye-makeup to pool under her eyes making her look very pitiful. Beast Boy then looked at Robin who was rubbing her back, eyes wide beneath his mask, staring at Beast Boy. He then looked at Raven who had slow, silent tears crawling down her pale face, completely forgetting about her hood for the moment. And finally he looked at Cyborg, his best friend in the world. He always looked up to him, strived to be as strong as him, both physically and emotionally. But at the moment, the unshakable tough guy Beast Boy always believed him to be had tears falling from his one dark brown eye.

He couldn't take anymore. He knew he couldn't just go to bed, seeing as he was sleeping on the couch in the living room. He decided a long hot shower would be best for now. He quietly walked out, leaving the rest to ponder what just happened.

When he was finished almost an hour later, he peeked out from the bathroom door. All the lights were out and he breathed a sigh of relief. He made his way to the couch where a couple of pillows and a large blanket were already laid out for him. He quickly made himself comfortable and soon fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I got sick twice, sprained my ankle, had to make up finals, had 5 Christmas parties, and just when I thought it was over with all 3 of my college level classes gave me projects in the same week! I shouldn't make escuses though. I had half of the chapter written in December, but I go writer's block on how to end it. But now it is finally completed! Hope it was worth the wait!


	9. Lilac

Lilac

Beast Boy awoke to the smell of soy bacon and eggs. He slowly opened one eye, then the other blinking away the bright light coming from the window. He sat up, yawned, and stretched before peering over the couch to see who was cooking in the kitchen. Starfire and Raven sat at the table while Cyborg was making breakfast, with several skillets sizzling on the stove. Beast Boy crawled off the couch and slowly made his way to the kitchen table. Almost as soon as he seated himself, a plate was placed in front of him. He looked at his vegetarian meal and back up at the metal man, confusion etched across his features.

"I think we can go one day without a vegetarian vs. meat battle don't you think?" Beast Boy gave a small smile, nodded, and dug into his plate.

After he was done, Beast Boy noticed Robin's absence. "Hey, where did Bird Boy go?"

Hearing this, the rest of the team seemed to relax. Beast Boy was back his old, jokester self.

"Oh! Boyfriend Robin has already had the break of fast and has gone to talk to Dr. Rogan before we leave." answered Starfire.

"When do we leave?" questioned Beast Boy.

"At 8:30, so in about twenty minutes." answered Cyborg.

Beast Boy's stomach did a flip. He didn't think they would be leaving so soon. He felt anxious and unprepared for what laid ahead.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were walking with Dr. Rogan over to the outskirts of the facility, where the paved roads ended and the trees began. Before leaving, we all packed the basic necessities into our backpacks, preparing for whatever lies before us. Ahead of us, about fifteen feet away, there was an area of trees that were demolished. The pavement leading up to the area was covered in small, deep cuts.

"What the hell happened here?" said Cyborg.

"Dude! The trees look as if a monster truck drove through them!" said Beast Boy as he ran the last few feet to the disaster site. Not only were the front trees destroyed, but a tunnel of trees, continuing on as far as the eye could see. "I mean, it just keeps going!"

"This is where the experiment made its escape from the facility." said Dr. Rogan. "Our men tried to contain it, but their attempts were futile."

Looking down, the pavement was filled with tiny indents made from bullets. A few shell casings still remained from the incident. _If the bullets even damaged it at all, the rain has already washed away any evidence of blood._

"Hey Beast Boy, Dr. Rogan has something that may have the experiment's scent. Maybe you could use it to track it?" said Robin as he took a small worn blanket and handed it to Beast Boy. The blanket was ripped in many places and was a dirty brown color. It might have once been white, but that was a long time ago. He looked at it in disgust. _This looks more like a rag than a blanket. _He reluctantly brought it to his nose and was surprised by how it smelled. Instead of the revolting smell he was expecting, the smell of lilac wafted through his nostrils. He gave the others a confused look before trying to see if the smell remained in the mass of torn up trees. Sure enough, a very faint hint of lilac remained. He carefully folded up the blanket and put it into his backpack before nodding to his friends. The five nodded back, said their goodbyes to Dr. Rogan, and began their trek, following the creature's path of destruction.

* * *

About a half an hour into the jungle, the path tapered off until there was no telling where the creature had gone. Beast Boy took out the blanket, smelled it, and changed into a dog searching for the aroma of lilacs. Once he located it, he barked at his friends and took off in the direction the creature had taken.

When nightfall came, the teens settled down near a stream for the night. They made a small fire and made some soup before taking out some blankets and resting till early morning. They did this for three more days, the team following Beast Boy through the woods, and camping out at night.

* * *

On the fifth night, they found a beautiful waterfall. It towered over them about thirty feet in the air and fed into a sparkling pool of water and a large stream. It was sitting in a small clearing.

"Wow this is most beautiful friends! On Tameran, one would not see a sight as beautiful as the falling of water!"

"It's called a waterfall Star, and yes it is beautiful." said Robin who staring lovingly as his girlfriend. She blushed. "May we sleep here tonight?" she asked. Robin nodded and the team began unpacking. As they began getting out the food for supper, they realized just how low their rations had gotten. They had enough food for two more meals, maybe three if they ate small portions. They decided that they would search for more food in the morning. If they were unsuccessful, they may be forced to end the search early and return the next day.

It was Beast Boy's turn to search for firewood as he took off from the clearing and into the dark woods. During the day, it isn't so scary. The birds are chirping, the weather is warm, and the sun is shining bright, but at night it's a different story. He was cold, trudging through the quiet darkness. It was almost totally silent, except for the occasional chirp of a bug or something scurrying through the trees above. That was what scared him most, the silence. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and he became jumpy at the slightest sound, even the sound of a twig snapping beneath his own feet. Shaking the feeling off, he began his search for dry wood. Being that they were in a rainforest, dry wood was hard to find. However he was able to get a small armful, enough to last them a few hours. He turned around and followed the scent of water but before he cook take a step, a loud rustling sounded in the trees above him. Startling him he accidently dropped his pile of tree limbs. Looking up he saw… nothing. Just the tops of trees and patches of the black, starless sky above. He shrugged and picked up a few branches before hearing the sound again. He stood up and became worried. Whatever it was, it was too big to be bird or a small mammal. No, it sounded as big as a jaguar. _But, jaguars wouldn't be up in trees as high as these... _Then the smell hit him, lilac. His eyes widened as he dropped his remaining sticks and ran back to the others, tripping over the bushes and vines in his hurry.

"Guys! GUYS! It's here! It's in the woods over there!" He pointed back while running up to them. Jumping to their feet they ran in the direction Beast Boy had been pointing. He led them up to where his pile of sticks lay, but by the time they got there the smell was only faintly there. It had begun to rain, washing away the evidence of the creature's arrival and ruining their firewood. They made their way back to the campsite and decided to give up on any chance of having dinner. Placing their blankets into the trees adjacent to the rock wall of the waterfall, they fell into a fitful sleep.


	10. Family

Family

Dawn was approaching. The once black, starless sky began to lighten, becoming bluer and bluer with each passing minute. The birds began to awake, allowing their beautiful songs to caress the morning air. However, a sudden scream ruined this tranquil scene, causing the birds to fly away in fear. The Titans all awoke with a sudden start and jumped into defensive positions. One Titan however, still remained in his sleeping bag, hands covering his eyes, and chest rising and falling much too quickly. The rest of the Titans quickly deduced that the scream had arisen from the youngest Titan, Beast Boy. They then released themselves from their tense positions and approached their teammate.

"Friend Beast Boy? Why did you do the screaming?" said a worried Starfire.

Beast Boy let his hands drop from his face, revealing bloodshot eyes. Pushing himself up to a sitting position, he replied "It was just a nightmare Star, I'm fine."

"What was it about?" asked Starfire.

"I don't want to talk about it." He quickly stood and began busying himself with folding his sleeping bag and putting it in his bag.

"Come on little Buddy, you can tell us anything." said Cyborg.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" screamed Beast Boy.

The rest of the Titans took a step back, shocked at his sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry guys." He said, ears drooping. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I just want to forget that nightmare ever happened. Ok?" The rest nodded in understanding and they all began to pack away their bedding, preparing for another day of searching.

* * *

It was sweltering hot out. For the first time since they had been searching, they were begging for rain. They were walking slowly, each person's pack seeming to get heavier and heavier with each step.

"Can we..take a break." panted Beast Boy.

"Fine, but only for a minute." answered the leader. He himself was dying for a break too, but didn't want to seem weak in front of the others. Everyone sighed in relief, quickly dropping there packs and sitting down.

After a few minutes, Robin said, "Well, we should probably get mo-"

"Shh!" whispered Beast Boy.

Not liking being interrupted, let alone told to shush Robin began to protest.

"Shush Dude I here something!" said Beast Boy, perking his ears up. Everyone became dead quiet. In their minds however, they were anything but. Everyone was thinking the same thing. _Had they finally found it? Will we finally get to end our incessant searching and go home? And the loudest thought of them all, what exactly was it that they were after?_ A rustling was heard in the bush about thirty feet in front of them. Whatever it was must have realized it had been discovered, because it had sprinted off.

"Starfire! Raven! Take to the skies and follow it! Cyborg! You and I will follow on foot. Beast Boy! Do whatever you can to catch up to it. Don't let it get away and engage it if at all possible!" shouted out Robin. "Titans! Go!" The team quickly followed orders, and dispersed. Beast Boy changed into a cheetah, quickly outrunning Cyborg and Robin.

The smell of Lilac was getting stronger and stronger. He soon saw something in the distance. It seemed to stop and turn. _Is that a- What the! _Before he had time to finish his thought he was suddenly trapped. His body was encased like a cocoon in what looked like vines. Thorny vines at that! His skin stung. He could tell his suit was practically shredded and he could smell the faint scent of blood. He tried to move and regretted it immediately. The vines became tighter, drawing more blood, and causing him to cry out in pain. It felt like he was being squeezed by a python. He had to think. How could he get out of this? His first idea was to become something smaller. He changed into a cat, but the vines just adjusted to his size. He had only one idea left, and a painful one at that. He changed again, taking on the form of a t-rex. The thorns punctured his skin, making him roar out in pain but the vines soon began to stretch to their limit. With one final lift of his head they snapped and fell limp on the ground. He slowly changed back, checking out the damage to his body. Yep, he hurt. He was bleeding everywhere, but it didn't look like the cuts were deep enough to really harm him. His cheek felt warm and he raised his hand and touched it. Wincing, he drew his hand back. It was smeared with fresh blood. He must have had a gash on his face.

"Ahh!" He turned towards the yell and began running. He stopped when he heard a muffled noise. Cyborg and Robin were pinned, back to back, against a tree by vines. In a normal situation he would be laughing, but this was anything but. He quickly ran to them and attempted to cut their vines. After removing the vines around Cyborg and then Robin's mouth, he started to work on the rest of them before Robin yelled, "Beast Boy! Go! We can get ourselves out! But right now you need to go after it before it gets away!" Beast Boy stopped for a second, unsure if he should follow orders and go or help his friends. An earthquake shook the ground under his feet, causing him to fall backwards. "Go! Now!" shouted Robin. Beast Boy shakily stood, turned, and darted away.

* * *

Meanwhile Starfire and Raven were in the air. They had lost track of the creature for a little while, but after hearing the boy's screams they soon found their target again. They were drawing nearer to it, but not fast enough for Raven's liking for she grabbed Starfire's hand and teleported them directly in front of it.

They were shocked, absolutely shocked by what they saw. "Its a-Ahhh!" cried out Starfire as vines quickly shot out at her, enclosing her completely. Luckily for her, her abnormal strength allowed her to rip through the vines much easier than Beast Boy. She was not totally unharmed though, she was scratched up and her clothes had huge rips in them. She was mad, very mad. She took action, shooting starbolts at it with inhuman speed, but every bolt was someone swatted away just as easily by the creature's vines. Raven began using her powers to try and rip up a tree to toss at it like she had done a thousand times before with the villains in Jump City. However this time was different. As she began to uproot the tree it began to move on its own. Startling her she quickly released it from her powers just as she was grabbed from behind. But not by the creature, by a tree! Its branches encircled her, clawing at her skin. Using her powers she phased through it. She turned to attack it when she was grabbed again. Every tree around her turned towards her, reaching for her. The trees began to resemble the creature from Wicked Scary and fear rose up in her. Fear had a nasty effect on her powers. Her powers suddenly caused a huge outburst of energy, leveling every tree around her in a fifty foot radius. She fell to the ground exhausted, energy completely drained. She looked up and gasped at the scene before her.

While Raven was fighting her own battle, Starfire chased after the creature, eyes green with fury, and continued her barrage of starbolts. All of a sudden, the ground began to shake around her. At first it went unnoticed by her since she was flying, but then something shot out of the ground between her and the creature. This something was big. It appeared to be a venus flytrap, if a venus flytrap could be fifty feet tall and mutated. It lunged at her, but she narrowly missed its jaws. Forgetting the creature for a moment, she began attacking her new target. Her power seemed to do little damage to the murderous plant. All she could do was try to evade it as it continued to try and eat her. Soon after, the Tameran began to grow tired, her reaction time slowing. And that's all that the plant needed to snap her in its Jaws. It was wet and sticky in there. She lifted her arm and a string of slime came with it. She shuddered with disgust, shaking off the offending liquid. Remembering her predicament she tried prying its jaws open. It gave a little, but not nearly enough for her to fit through. After about a minute of trying to get out she changed tactics. If she couldn't get out the way she came, she was going to make a new exit. Getting in a ready position on the ground, she used all her power as she leaped into the air, placing her arms up. A terrible roar was heard as the top of the creatures mouth was ripped open and Starfire came bursting out. The monstrous plant fell to the ground, causing an earthquake. Starfire slowly landed on her knees, too tired to fly anymore. After a moment's rest she heard a noise behind her and tried to get in a defensive posture. However it was only Raven, looking as worse for ware as she was. Both girls breathing heavily, took a moment to rest before limping off in the direction the creature went. Hopefully, they weren't too late.

* * *

Beast Boy was running, faster than he had ever ran before. He couldn't lose track of it now! Not when they had gotten so close! In his cheetah form, he was leaping over fallen trees and rocks as if they were nothing but twigs and pebbles. The ground shook again, causing him to lose hit footing and skid into a tree. He was dizzy, his vision blurred. He attempted to stand up and fell back down again. After waiting another moment for his vision to clear, he tried again and was successful. His head was pounding. He probably had a minor concussion, but nothing Raven couldn't fix. His thoughts stopped abruptly, as the hairs on the back of his neck stood. Something was off… He looked around. The trees above him were swaying gently causing leaves to float down to the ground. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. And all he could hear was a few birds twittering happily to each other, completely oblivious to the struggle around them. Then it dawned on him. The air smelled different. It smelled like… Lilac! Sniffing around him, he found the direction where the smell was strongest and took off again, determination setting his eyes ablaze with an emerald flame.

The smell led him to the edge of a small clearing. As he neared, he could practically taste the moisture in the air. There had to be a pretty large body of water nearby. He slowly crawled his way up to the last line of trees and hid. Changing back into his natural form he took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he might see. He slowly peeked behind him. The first thing he noticed was a waterfall. The clearing ended in a sudden drop into the water below being fed by a massive waterfall. Glancing to the left, his eyes stopped on a form. His eyes widened, unable to believe what they were seeing.

A young girl, about his age, sat in a predatory stance, as if preparing to pounce. She had shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, and was stark naked. Beast Boy could feel a blush coming to his face. He knew he should look away, but his eyes betrayed him.

"I know you're there! Show yourself you coward!" She turned her head towards where he was hidden and he quickly snapped out of it and tore himself away from the scene. She may have sounded tough, but her eyes revealed just how terrified she was. _This is what they were after? It isn't a monster! It's just a girl!_ _A poor frightened girl!_ He quickly took a peek around. She was staring directly where he sat. _Oh shit! She sees me!_

I slowly walked out from my hiding place, hands above my head in attempt to show my desire not to get the crap beaten out of me. She was still in a crouching position and slowly backed up as I drew a bit closer. Looking up at her, I was suddenly aware that she was still completely naked. I quickly looked down, face lighting up with yet another blush.

"Loo-look I re-really don't want to hurt you!" I managed to stutter out in my embarrassment.

"Of course you don't! You just want to ship me, all wrapped up in a bow, back to S.T.A.R. Labs!" She suddenly stood and thrust her arms out. As she did this, her hair blew back and eyes changed green. Vines suddenly shot out from the ground below me, grabbing my ankles and swinging me upside down in the air. Again I found myself being constricted by vines, only this time my face was at least left uncovered. Opening my eyes I realized I was face to face with her. All of her! Thankfully all the blood draining to my head hid my blush.

"Nn-no! Really! I can prove it!"

"And how might that be?" she said, her voice showing her distrust.

"My hand! Look at my left hand."

She paused, seeming to contemplate her next move. "This isn't a trick is it?' She asked, eyes lighting up green again.

"No! I promise! If I'm lying you can, throw me into the waterfall over there if you want." He said, gesturing his head towards it.

The vines near his hand shifted. Letting her eyes fade back to grey, she slowly approached him. She reached out and turned his hand outward. On the back of his hand there was a barcode tattooed on his skin. **7379**. Dropping his hand, she gasped and stumbled backwards. Glancing down at her own hand, she saw the numbers **9367**. The scientists gave every experiment a number. She has been called experiment number **9367 **for so long, she could barely remember her real name.

Just then, the other Titans burst through the trees, all in attack positions. "Put him down now!" Screamed Robin, staff raised to strike. Realizing she was outnumbered, she did as she was told, gently laying the green teen on the ground.

The rest of the Titans began advancing on her, pushing her nearer and nearer to the cliffs edge. Realizing how dire the situation was, Beast Boy leapt up in front of the girl, arms out stretched towards his friends. "No!" he cried out. "Don't hurt her! She isn't a monster! She is just another victim of the cruelty of S.T.A.R. Labs! … Just like I was…"

The rest of the team looked at each other, slowly putting down their weapons and defenses. Seeing their compliance, Beast Boy dropped his arms to his sides and turned to look at the girl.

"What is your name?" asked Starfure is a soft, sweet voice.

"….. Natasha" said the girl in a whisper.

"Don't worry, you're safe with us." said Beast boy. "We can take you far away from this place. You will never have to return to those people ever again! We will make sure of it."

She turned from him, gazing into each individual's eyes before looking back at the green teen's eyes. She saw it, in each of their eyes. Kindness. The word was nothing, but a fairytale to her. She had never witnessed it first hand. She only knew a life of cruelty and pain. But now, she felt safe with these people. She knew she had a future with them, a family.


	11. An Author's Apology

Author's Note

I apologize, but I have decided not to continue this story. I was going to have a romance blossom between Beast Boy and Natasha and then have Slade kidnap her and make her under his control (not like Terra, because he would have complete control over her mind and wouldn't need a suit). She would be evil, rename herself Poison Ivy like the comic, but have her be blonde, and destroy the city. I was also going to have her veins glow green and make her just plain scary, but I recently came across a fanfic that started after my own that had the same idea and was 40 some chapters in. I didn't want to seem like I was stealing their story (I didn't because I had the entire plot in my head before beginning to write plus I never read the entire story of the other author, just a few chapters). So I'm not continuing the story. I'm sorry I never got to the romance and I'm sorry for breaking my promise of updating often. I will write more stories, but they will probably be BBRae rather than BBTasha and I have decided to write the entire story beforehand and put up a chapter every other day. That way I will never break my promise

Love Your Very Apologetic Author

BlondieCupcake


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